1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus that can multiple combine a plurality of captured images.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been a technology of performing multiple exposure shooting through addition processing of a plurality of digital image signals.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-218313 discusses retaining three images in a recording area in the process of image capturing in a multiple exposure shooting mode. The three images to be retained include an image captured immediately before, an addition image (keep image) up to the previous image capturing, and an addition image obtained by adding the addition image up to the previous image capturing and the image captured immediately before. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-218313 also discusses receiving an instruction to clear the image captured immediately before while the addition image immediately after the image capturing is displayed for a preview. Then, the image to be added to the keep image can be recaptured.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-340063 discusses providing a preview display after each time an image is captured in a multiple exposure mode. During the preview display, an image preview switch can be pressed each time to switch to display of a multiple exposure image in the captured image in a picture-in-picture fashion, display only the captured image, and display only the multiple exposure image.
Consider the case of clearing an image captured immediately before for the sake of recapturing as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-218313. In such a case, information for making a decision whether to clear the image captured immediately before (hereinafter, also referred to as immediately-previous image) may be obtained if a comparison can be made between the outcome when the immediately-previous image is added to an existing addition image (multiple combined image) and the outcome when not added. However, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-218313, it is only possible to display a multiple combined image obtained by adding all images captured in a multiple exposure shooting mode (an addition image or a keep image during a through image display), not a multiple combined image without the immediately-previous image added. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-340063 also, it is only possible to display a multiple combined image obtained by adding all images captured in a multiple exposure shooting mode (multiple exposure image) and an immediately-previous image (captured image), but not a multiple combined image without the immediately-previous image. In other words, it has conventionally not been possible to compare the outcome when an immediately-previous image captured immediately before in the multiple exposure shooting mode is added to an existing multiple combined image and the outcome when not added.